Valentine's Day
by Vivalandra
Summary: :: DP One-Shot :: A little light-hearted gift from Danny turns Sam the Scrooge into Sam the Smoodge. I'm so sorry about the title. Usually I'm witty and clever; just not now. :: Rated K for now, but next year it will be an M story. ::


***I don't own Danny Phantom***

**A/N: Right then, so hello everybody! Today I'm going to write a nice little Valentine's Day fanfic for those of you who love those mushy, fluffy little marshmallow stories. ;)**

* * *

**Sam**

In the midst of it all, I'll be the first to say that I hate Valentine's Day. There's something about the holiday that just makes my skin crawl, my stomach churn, and my cheeks blush red with heat, and _not_ in the cute, romantic sort of way. Even though it only lasts for 24 hours, it still makes me want to put a bullet in my head, and with each passing year that drifts by like a wind current brushing against the surface of the sea, it makes me wish that I finally would and just get it done and over with.

Sorry, I guess I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. The name is Sam Manson, short for Samantha, but call me that, and I'll shove my combat boot so far up your butt, you'll choke it up through your mouth. I live in a small town called Amity Park, so Valentine's Day is pretty big there, the place being very little populated and all. It's more common amongst the teenagers there than the adults, since most of everyone has a husband or a wife. Most of the kids live in a nuclear family, including me.

My parents are entrepreneurs - not just entrepreneurs, but _the most famous_ of all entrepreneurs. So famous, their names are not only know around our town and almost every foreign country out there, but also our country as well. They travel the world on business trips, buying foreign companies and hosting residential parties where ambassadors from different countries attend our mansion.

Though it takes up a boatload of time for my parents and they're never really home to raise me, that doesn't mean that I care. I have my grandmother with me twenty-four seven, and she's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. She's the only one in my family who really understands me - the phases I go through and the things I take interest in.

You see, what I mean by that is that I'm a Goth - a serious one. My parents _know_ that, but seem to _understand_ that, see? They're completely oblivious to the fact that the color black - and only the color black - attracts me more than any other color does. They force me to wear dresses with floral print and to associate with the guests at our parties and what not, but I hate it. I hate having the reputation of living with snobby rich people when all that _I _want is a normal life.

Whoa. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's get back on track here.

Our topic is Valentine's Day… how did I forget that?

Anyway, for those who don't know what Valentine's Day is, if there's even a _single person_ who doesn't, Valentine's Day is a day in the month of February that you get to celebrate love and romance with someone who doesn't even have to have a crush on you. Every year, however, it's the same bullcrap over and over again. The guy buys the girl chocolate; the girl acts super surprised that the guy buys her chocolate, even though that's what he buys her _every. Single. Year._ They kiss, they act like they love each other… and then the next day, it's all done and over with and everyone goes back to the way that they were.

Yeah. Stupid, huh? That's what I'm thinking.

So when I walked through the doors of Casper High with my two best friends, Danny and Tucker, by my side, and I saw the walls decorated with little red and pink hearts and tassels of the exact same color hanging from the ceiling, dangling down enough to where the wind casted by the motion of migrating teenagers hit them, I felt exactly as I had said earlier: I wanted to put a bullet in my head.

Not just the hall was painted in festivity either. The students were just as guilty.

Everyone, and I do mean _everyone,_ was wearing an either pink or a red shirt, matching the ornaments of the holiday which had completely covered the environment. Some people had already found their "Valentines", which is what they call their "significant other" for the next 24 hours. I could tell as I had observed that most of the teenagers were walking in couplets through the halls, linking arms and staying rather uncomfortably close to them.

I rolled my eyes, a tinge of gurgling occurring in my lower abdomen. "I really wish my parents didn't make me come to school today."

Danny turned to face me, his baby blue eyes trying to search my facial expression for that sign - the sign that I'll be alright for the rest of the day. Danny was always the kind of friend who had cared about what I had to say or had to think or… whatever. He just _cared._

Tucker, on the other hand, was always a man who stood his own ground. If he had an opinion, he'd express it, regardless if anyone cared to listen or not. He'd always been one to take advantage of our first amendment, never leaving it hanging, just another rule in the book. Whatever he wanted to say is what everyone would have to know. Period.

"Come on, Sam," he shrugged, "it really isn't all that bad."

"Not all that bad? Look at everyone!" I pointed towards the crowd of students as a few girls started leaning over some of "their Valentines". "Everyone's acting so ridiculous!"

"You're just mad that you don't have a Valentine."

"And you're one to talk?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Guys, quit it," Danny interrupt our small brawl to automatically become our mediator. "I know that you guys both want to be the right one, but this is just a small little holiday that will only last for one day. Let's not commence World War III because of it."

"She started it," he dejected.

"Shut up, Tucker," I snapped.

"See what I mean? She can be so cruel."

Danny sighed as he beckoned us to follow him to our lockers. By us, I was referring more to him and Tucker, because I didn't move a single inch even after they moved away from the spots they were at previously. When the realized this, they turned back towards me.

"Sam," Danny asked, eyeing me cautiously, "are you coming?"

"Can't we just wait until the halls clear up a little bit more?" I asked him solemnly.

The boys shot glances towards each other and shrugged, bringing their eyes to look back at my face.

"Wouldn't that make us late for class?" Tucker questioned me, as if I were some stupid little kid who didn't think the idea through. I rolled my eyes as I responded to him. "We only have to grab three books for the next four periods; I doubt that we need that much time."

"It takes us like three minutes to get from here to our lockers, though."

"Then fine! If you want, go by yourselves! I'm waiting until I can actually move about the hallway without my head starting to spin."

With that being said, Tucker paused for only one second and then simply said "okay" before turning around and starting towards his locker. Danny frowned as he looked over at me, clearly seeing that I was upset. This day had to be the worst day ever and I was only a few hours into it. I had about 16 more to go, and I was already losing my mind. This holiday sucks, this day sucks, my life sucks. Everything sucks.

And, as if by reading my thoughts, Danny started toward me, gently grasping my hand as he pulled me in close and whispered into my right ear: "The day will be over before you know it."

"I don't want it to be _over before I know._ I want it to be over now."

"I know that you do," he nodded, " I know that you don't like this holiday, but… haven't you at least _tried_ to celebrate it?"

"I've never really believed in monogamy or love or any of that crap," I shook my head, angling it to where my face is down toward the ground. I was trying to hide my face, but it seems more like I'm exposing it. The funny thing is… I don't think it was because of the conversation we were having. Something about him… well, forgive me for using a cliche, but… makes butterflies flutter in my stomach. There's something about those big, beautiful eyes that reminds of the person I once was: sweet and adoring.

Now I'm just a pain in the ass Goth.

What I did next was beyond belief. I didn't even know that I was doing it until it was too late. I very tenderly laced my fingers with his, entwining them together, like the interlocking of mixed up vines. He looked down for only a moment, clearly shocked at the sudden move I had just made, but when he brought his gaze back up, I was blushing like a tomato. Literally. My face was doused in crimson.

I quickly let go to avoid wetting myself from nervousness. I gave a breathy chuckle as I smiled a little bit, not because I was happy that I did it, but because I couldn't believe I did. I peeked over his shoulder to see the hallways calming down. Mumbling a very quick and subtle apology, I shifted my weight to my right leg and brought my left foot up just behind his foot, sliding past him. I just lightly grazed his shoulder. I almost didn't touch him at all, almost like I was never even there.

Almost.

I realized that I wasn't going fast enough when I started walking away from him, so I quickly picked up my pace, hoping to God that I could get away from him in time for me to get in my locker, grab my books and get to class, but it wasn't long until I heard footsteps behind me. I kept praying to myself that it wasn't who I thought it was, but granted that almost all of the students were already in their classrooms, of course it was who I thought it was. I didn't want any part in talking to him, but that didn't stop anything.

"Sam, wait up for a second."

Oh, boy. Here we go.

I stopped at my locker and touched the combination dial, turning it right before ceasing at the first number. I just wanted to get out of there before he starts nagging me. Unfortunately with him tapping repeatedly on my shoulder, it was a bit easier said than done. After a while, I was getting incredibly annoyed, so I opened my locker and turned a rather stale gaze at him.

"What Danny?"

"What was that back there?" he gave a little hitchhiker gesture with the tip of his thumb pointing over his right shoulder to prove his point.

I shrugged and pretended as if I didn't know what he was talking about, and in the back of my mind, I was hoping he would drop it afterwards.

But here's the thing about Danny: he's _extremely _persistent. Nothing will stop that boy at simply finding answers; it doesn't matter if he wins or not in the process. Because of this oh so beautiful ability that came with his personality, it made him trouble to be around.

Everyone that we know always says that Danny and I are one and the same. They say that no matter how oblivious we are to each other's behavior, we are the exact same. I'll be the first to say I don't deny that, but I'd challenge them if they added "in every way" to their opinions.

The difference between me and Danny is that I got this far in my life by staying behind the boundary line; Danny got this far in life by _walking_ _right on it._ That may not seem so bad to you, but here's why you're wrong: if you're in my position, staying in the safe zone, you're not as likely to accidentally topple over into the danger zone because you're _for sure _planted on one side already. When you're walking on the line, the picture changes. You're a human, I'm a human, and Danny's a human; _humans make mistakes._

Or in this case, _the _mistake - the mistake of accidentally falling into the danger zone.

The mistake of accidentally crossing the boundary line.

Like right now.

"Danny, drop it. You're really starting to aggravate me."

"Look, I don't want to cause trouble. I just wanted to know what you did back there and why."

"It doesn't matter! It was a stupid mistake that I made in the heat of the moment with no time to stop myself! Can't we just leave it at that?"

He was just now starting to pick up the tone of my voice, which, I will say, was getting very shaken and rattled. I'm hoping that in all seriousness, he would let by gones be by gones. I don't mean to be this rude - in fact, I'm usually not, and you can take my word for that. But even someone as special as Danny needs to realize that sometimes it's not good to be tenacious, digging around like a dog rummaging the front yard for a buried bone. If you dig too deep, you just might find something that you won't be so keen to encounter.

Take me, for instance. Underneath all this Gothic bravado, I'm a normal 15-year-old girl like everybody else, whether I like it or not. The same hormones flow through me as they do every other teenage girl. I have a dark side that I don't show others; Danny has one that he doesn't even show _me._ The point is, everyone's got one. Figuratively speaking, it's like an animal in a cage. Can you tame it? Of course. But animals act on pure instinct. It won't take much for them to go from tamed to crazed, rattling and banging against the cage more and more until eventually, _you alone _cannot keep it in there anymore. It _will _break loose if people aren't careful, and when that happens with me... it is _not _a sight to see.

Don't blame me. I'm not ashamed. It happens to _everyone, _because everyone has a monster living inside of them. It can be easy to hold them back, but don't get ahead of yourself; they _can _escape your grip.

I was using every ounce of my strength to tighten the clutch on my inner beast, but he was winning, and I took it that Danny had seen that.

He had automatically backed off.

He quickly got into his locker and grabbed his books before rushing into Mr. Lancer's history class.

And after he was out of my sight, I let out what was at first a sigh of relief, but gradually turned into a groan of irritation.

The monster was back in its chains.

But now? After all that time?

Next time, I decided, it'd be easier to just tranquilize it.

* * *

**Danny**

I didn't really know what Sam's problem was. It's almost as if she hated me. I know that she doesn't... but feelings against a holiday can be so strong?

I can't say that I don't condone it, though. Sam's hated Valentine's Day since the day she found out it existed. It's not that the holiday had done anything to her; it's the fact that it's hard to believe in something when you've never sensed it. She had never felt love before, and to be rightfully honest, I haven't either. I'm surprised I even think that it exists. But Sam has never heard someone call her beautiful or stunning or that they loved her... but it's true. I love Sam. But I've never told her.

I want her to be my Valentine...

...but I can tell that's not happening anytime soon.

* * *

_**Sam**_

Stupid Valentine's Day. I hated it so much, with a burning passion. So many couples were scattered out all over. They walk hand-in-hand, I hurl. They kiss, I hurl. They feed each other food in the halls, I hurl.

And the day didn't get any better. At lunch, I saw Paulina, one of the richest and _the _most popular and flawless girls in the entire school. The girl's uterus could create a legacy if she weren't worried about gaining weight from a pregnancy. Every guy wanted to date her; every girl wanted to be her. All except for me - I just flat-out hated her.

She was looking to ask Dash to be her Valentine, but he was with Amanda, one of the cheerleaders on the squad. Kwan was with Star. It appeared that every A-Lister had one except for her, so she turned to, guess who, as a last resort: Danny. Nice to know that he's probably THAT desperate to accept.

Paulina was top-notch - a real upper-class chick. As a matter of fact, just as upper-class as me. As repulsive as it may be (just as repulsive it is for me to say it), her and I are kind of one in the same when it comes to living conditions. The difference between us is that she built her reputation based on her money; I built my reputation based on my personality. The only two people who know my family's rich are Danny and Tucker, and I intend to keep it that way.

Though she's at least somewhat observant to the outcasts. She even gave us all nicknames. Tucker is "techno geek", thanks to his fondness of technology and hacking, Danny's is Fenton, Fenturd, Fentonia, Fentasia... there's a lot more that her and Dash came up with.

And mine? Mine is "Goth freak".

Yep. I love high school.

And speaking of the wicked witch of Mexico, the broom must have long clattered against the floor without me even realizing it, because she shoved right past me, a look of disgust upon her face.

I gotta say, it's pretty funny "accidentally" pissing her off.

"Watch it Goth freak!"

Yep. See?

"Oh, I'm sorry Paulina. I didn't see you walking right towards my immobile form, which you could've easily walked around. I'll see to it that it doesn't happen again," I sarcastically apologized.

I wasn't gonna take the fall for a mistake _she constantly_ made.

She rolled her eyes and moved to the "popular table" to sit in the same seat that was practically polished for her every day. I simply smirked to myself and went off to find Danny and Tucker. Don't get me wrong - I know I can have a life like that, but I choose not to. Notice how pathetic it makes you seem. I want the life of a normal teenager, not the life of a famous person. Gross... my IQ drops just thinking about it.

And so when I see two familiar faces, I suck up my hatred of the previous event and plant a seat next to Danny.

"There's the Valentine Scrooge!" Tucker called out.

I rolled my eyes. "Cut it out Tucker. You aren't funny."

"Easy Sam. People joke."

"I want this day to be over," I moaned, sighing as I played at a piece of spinach in my salad.

"It's not bad once you have a Valentine. I'm asking Valerie."

"I don't have one yet," Danny stated.

"Paulina will probably ask you," I glanced up to him. _And you'll probably say yes, _my mind added.

"Why would Paulina ask _me?"_

"Because every time you're around, 'the ghost boy' is around, too."

"I'm not saying yes."

"I don't believe that."

"Believe it. I don't want her as my Valentine."

I smirked. This was bound to be good.

"Prove it."

Danny gave me an "are you serious" look as he turned me around and dug into my backpack, taking a sheet of paper and a pencil and using my backpack as a hard surface to quickly jot something down. Then with a quick and sweeping motion, he grabber my shoulders and turned me back to face him. Then he handed me the paper. Tucker watched us curiously. As usual, he was always that snoopy.

"Read this. Then you'll know for sure."

He got up after wiping his mouth with a napkin and getting his food tray, walking off towards the trash bin. I raised an eyebrow as I watched him start off, turning back around and staring at the paper before me. I unfolded it carefully as my eyes landed on the writing within.

_"Meet me at the back of the school near Door E. I'll show you."_

So that's what I did.

When the final bell rang, I rushed out of Geometry class, heading to my locker and retrieving my things before going off to Door E. Tucker tried to stop me on the way, but I shook my head, quickly muttering I had no time. I waited until the exit cleared up of ignorant teenagers, then I pushed the doors open and stepped out, the late winter/early spring air whipping against my face. Danny was standing there, facing me, waiting for me, and the look in his eye looked... loving.

I scoffed jokingly as my eyes searched around. This is a joke, right? Where was the evidence?

"Okay... I'm here," I stated as I stepped down the stairs and kept going until I was directly in front of him. "What did you want to show me? And why did it have to be back here, where no one can see us?"

"Take my hand." He held his right hand in front of me.

Then I did.

"Because I wasn't going to do this out front."

Then he went ghost and took me in his arms, lifting me up bridal style, taking of carefully into the air. I did nothing as I watched him above me. I didn't even ask where we were going. I just shut up and held onto his neck.

I could stay like this all day, flying in the air with him. It always kept me relaxed. And it felt as if it could go on forever, and I wouldn't care.

Then we stopped, heading towards the ground below. He commanded me to close my eyes as I felt my feet hit the grass. And I did. I couldn't even guess where I was.

I felt his hands land over my eyelids as I smiled. "Where am I?"

"You'll see. Just wait."

We walked for what seemed like eternity, along the way, he gave me advice, such as "watch your step" and etcetera. Then we quit moving, and he removed his hands.

"Okay. Open."

And I opened my eyes. We were now in my room, surprisingly, and I could tell by my curtains,.my wallpaper, my bed... and when I saw what was before me, I nearly cried.

There before me was a sterling silver ring with an amethyst gem inside. If I could take a stab at it, I'd say it was about 13k. My heart jumped as I turned to look at him. He grinner at me, seeing as how I was almost crying.

"You like it?"

"How much was this?"

"That doesn't matter."

"How did you get it?"

"That doesn't matter either," he said, moving past me and taking the ring into his hand before starting towards me, lifting my right hand and sliding it onto my ring finger.

"Are...?" I sniffed, "are you asking me to be your Valentine?"

"Mmm," he replied, "almost."

Then he leaned in closer and with a low and teasing whisper, he said, "I'm asking you to be my girlfriend."

* * *

**A/N: Aww. I'm touched. A cliffy! And love. Lots of love.**

**For the next Valentine's Day, I'll add a smut and turn it into a rated M story. But I'll make this appropriate from now on.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot on a day of love. The Last of Us: Left Behind comes out today! Ahhh!**

**Okay. Well, here's a Question of... uh... a One-Shot!**

_"What special thing are you doing for Valentine's Day?"_

**I'm gonna sit at home and play video games! :D**

**PleaseR&amp;R,**

**Vivalandra**

**Happy Valentine's Day! **


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